Idioms Examples Sentences PDF in English

Idioms are an important part of everyday English. They help us express ideas, feelings, and situations in a natural and interesting way. An idiom is a group of words that has a special meaning different from its literal meaning. Learning Idioms Examples Sentences can improve English vocabulary, speaking, reading, and writing skills. In this article, you will learn common idioms with examples in English in simple language. These examples are useful for kids, students, teachers, and English learners who want to understand and use idioms correctly in daily communication. A PDF is also included for easy learning and practice.

Table of Contents

Explore Idiom Example Sentences in English

Idiom	Example Sentence
Break the ice	Sarah told a funny story to break the ice at the meeting.
A piece of cake	The English test was a piece of cake for Maria.
Hit the nail on the head	You hit the nail on the head when you said we need better planning.
Under the weather	I stayed home because I was feeling under the weather.
Spill the beans	Tom accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.
Once in a blue moon	We eat at that expensive restaurant once in a blue moon.
Cost an arm and a leg	Buying a new car can cost an arm and a leg these days.
Bite the bullet	I decided to bite the bullet and finish the difficult assignment.
Let the cat out of the bag	Emma let the cat out of the bag about our holiday plans.
Burn the midnight oil	Jack burned the midnight oil to prepare for his final exam.
On cloud nine	She was on cloud nine after winning the competition.
Add fuel to the fire	His rude comment only added fuel to the fire during the argument.
Beat around the bush	Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.
Call it a day	We finished the main tasks and decided to call it a day.
Go the extra mile	Our teacher always goes the extra mile to help struggling students.
Keep an eye on	Please keep an eye on my bag while I buy a ticket.
Miss the boat	Apply for the job today, or you may miss the boat.
Pull someone’s leg	I was only pulling your leg when I said the school was closed.
Sit on the fence	You cannot sit on the fence forever; you need to make a decision.
Through thick and thin	My best friend has supported me through thick and thin.

Explore Idiom Example Sentences in English

Most Common Idioms Example Sentences

Idiom	Example Sentence
Back to square one	When our first plan failed, we went back to square one.
Bark up the wrong tree	If you think I broke the window, you are barking up the wrong tree.
Get cold feet	Daniel got cold feet just before giving his speech.
Hit the sack	I am exhausted, so I am going to hit the sack early tonight.
In hot water	He was in hot water after missing an important deadline.
Jump the gun	Do not jump the gun before you receive all the information.
Kill two birds with one stone	I killed two birds with one stone by exercising while walking to work.
Make ends meet	They work hard every month to make ends meet.
Out of the blue	My childhood friend called me out of the blue yesterday.
Put all your eggs in one basket	You should not put all your eggs in one basket when investing money.
See eye to eye	My brother and I do not always see eye to eye on important matters.
Take it with a grain of salt	You should take his story with a grain of salt because he often exaggerates.
The ball is in your court	I have explained my offer, and now the ball is in your court.
Up in the air	Our weekend plans are still up in the air because of the weather.
Wrap your head around	It took me a while to wrap my head around the new grammar rule.
Your guess is as good as mine	Your guess is as good as mine about when the electricity will return.
Cross your fingers	Cross your fingers and hope that I pass my driving test.
Easy does it	Easy does it when you carry that glass table downstairs.
Face the music	He had to face the music after lying to his parents.
Get out of hand	The celebration got out of hand when too many people arrived.

Most Common Idioms Examples Sentences

Essential Idioms Example Sentence for Student

Idiom	Example Sentence
Hang in there	Hang in there; you only have one more week of exams.
In the same boat	We are in the same boat because neither of us has finished the project.
Keep your chin up	Keep your chin up; another opportunity will come soon.
Leave no stone unturned	The police left no stone unturned in their search for the missing documents.
Make a long story short	To make a long story short, we missed the train and took a bus instead.
No pain no gain	He exercises every morning because he believes in no pain no gain.
On the same page	We held a short meeting to make sure everyone was on the same page.
Play it by ear	We have no fixed plan for Saturday, so we will play it by ear.
Rain on someone’s parade	I do not want to rain on your parade, but the event may be canceled.
Steal someone’s thunder	Jake stole my thunder by announcing the news before I could.
Take the bull by the horns	She took the bull by the horns and spoke directly to the manager.
A blessing in disguise	Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because I found a better one.
Blow off steam	I went for a long walk to blow off steam after a stressful day.
Cut corners	The builder cut corners, so the repairs did not last very long.
Get the ball rolling	Let us get the ball rolling by discussing the first question.
Have bigger fish to fry	I cannot worry about that small problem because I have bigger fish to fry.
In the nick of time	We reached the airport in the nick of time and caught our flight.
Keep something under your hat	Please keep this under your hat until we make the official announcement.
Learn the ropes	It took Mia a few weeks to learn the ropes at her new job.
Off the hook	My brother washed the dishes, so I was off the hook.

Essential Idioms Examples Sentences for Students

Simple Examples of Idioms in Sentences

Idiom	Example Sentence
Put your foot in your mouth	I put my foot in my mouth when I asked about a party she had not been invited to.
Speak of the devil	Speak of the devil; we were just talking about you.
Take a rain check	I cannot have lunch today, but I would like to take a rain check.
Throw in the towel	Despite several difficulties, she refused to throw in the towel.
Walk on eggshells	Everyone was walking on eggshells around the angry manager.
A dime a dozen	Cheap phone cases are a dime a dozen at this market.
Burn bridges	Try not to burn bridges when you leave your current job.
Cut to the chase	We only have ten minutes, so let us cut to the chase.
Get a taste of your own medicine	The bully got a taste of his own medicine when others ignored him.
Hit the road	We should hit the road early if we want to avoid traffic.
In a nutshell	In a nutshell, the plan is to reduce costs and improve service.
Keep your cards close to your chest	She kept her cards close to her chest during the negotiations.
Lose your touch	I have not played tennis for years, so I may have lost my touch.
On thin ice	You are on thin ice after being late three times this week.
Pull yourself together	Pull yourself together and focus on what you need to do next.
Read between the lines	If you read between the lines, you can see that he is unhappy with the decision.
The tip of the iceberg	These small errors are only the tip of the iceberg.
Time flies	Time flies when you are enjoying yourself with good friends.
Turn a blind eye	The manager refused to turn a blind eye to repeated rule violations.
Weather the storm	The small business managed to weather the storm during a difficult year.

Simple Examples of Idioms in Sentences

Examples of idioms in English

Idiom	Example Sentence
A drop in the ocean	Our small donation is a drop in the ocean, but every contribution helps.
By the skin of your teeth	He passed the final exam by the skin of his teeth.
Cry over spilled milk	There is no point crying over spilled milk; we need to solve the problem.
Down to earth	Despite her success, Anna remains friendly and down to earth.
Every cloud has a silver lining	Losing the match was disappointing, but every cloud has a silver lining because we learned from our mistakes.
Get something off your chest	I need to get something off my chest before we continue this conversation.
Hit the books	I have an important test tomorrow, so I need to hit the books tonight.
In black and white	The rules are written in black and white in the student handbook.
Keep your fingers crossed	Keep your fingers crossed that the weather stays clear for our trip.
Live and learn	I forgot to save my work and lost everything, but you live and learn.
Make a mountain out of a molehill	Do not make a mountain out of a molehill; it is only a small mistake.
On the spur of the moment	We decided on the spur of the moment to visit the beach.
Put two and two together	I put two and two together and realized they were planning a surprise.
Ring a bell	Her name rings a bell, but I cannot remember where we met.
Take the plunge	After months of planning, they finally took the plunge and opened their own shop.
The last straw	His rude behavior at dinner was the last straw for his parents.
Turn over a new leaf	After failing the exam, Sam decided to turn over a new leaf and study regularly.
When pigs fly	My brother says he will clean his room every day, but that will happen when pigs fly.
You can say that again	This has been a difficult week. You can say that again!
Zip your lip	Zip your lip about the surprise until Sarah arrives.